Lezelldium
by thecakemasterofpanem
Summary: Emily is sent to find one of Leon's old friends, but runs into challenges and crazy surprises in The Black Forest. She continually battles for the control of her stone, and figures out important information that add up to the other books. This fanfiction takes place between Amulet Book Two The Stonekeeper's Curse and Amulet Book Three The Cloud Searchers.
1. Announcement

"Emily, there is a large task I need you to complete. As you know, we are heading to Nautilus to find a captain, but we can't do that if it's impossible to reach the city. Unfortunately, we are only half-way through the Black Forest, and a vital part of the house was lost during our battle with Luger. We can't rebuild it unless we have a specific peice of machinery. Luckily, I know someone in these woods that will help. I want you to go find that person. Tell them I sent you and give them this note," Leon instructed the young stonekeeper, handing her a small slip of paper. "This will be sort of like a pre-quest, and I have no doubt that you'll learn a few important things while you're searching. Hopefully you can start tomorrow."

Emily listened carefully and took it all in. She wasn't sure about this idea, but decided to go because if she didn't, they wouldn't be able to advance. So all she asked was, "What should I take with me?"

Leon replied, "You shouldn't need much. I'll put some food into a pack and you can take that. It would be good if you could find another walking stick and not lose it." He smiled and she smiled back.

Then Miskit burst through the door after overhearing everything. "YOU'RE SENDING HER ON A PRE-QUEST?! DO YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS?!"

"She'll be fine," Leon assured.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! SHE COULD GET SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED! THIS WHOLE TRIP WILL BE FOR NOTHING! AT LEAST LET ME GO WITH HER!"

"She has to do this on her own."

"WHY?!"

"She has to move fast, and we can't have anyone slowing her down or putting more pressure on her. She needs to be alone with her thoughts for once."

Miskit growled at the fox man and looked sternly at Emily. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

She nodded in reply and added, "If I don't, we won't get anywhere. I can get this done."

He sighed and walked away.

Leon told her, "He's overprotective."

"You get used to it."

"I sure hope so. Well, you should get some rest before you head out. The trip is long. I'll show you which direction you have to go later."

"Okay." Then she walked through the Charnon House until she found her room and settled for the night.


	2. Heading Out

That morning, Emily woke up feeling slightly dazed. The stone had been haunting her dreams and she wished someone would have told her about the curse before she put the necklace on. Still, she retained her composure and got up, dragging on her clothes and strapping her boots.

Something down the hall smelled incredible, so she wandered in that direction and found Miskit and her mother making a massive breakfast.

Karen twisted her head at the sound of her daughter entering and said, "Good morning," with a welcoming smile.

With surprise in her voice, Emily replied, "Good morning," back to her mother.

Karen explained, "We wanted to make sure you eat as much as you can now so you won't be hungry later, and you can put some of the left overs in your satchel."

Emily sat down at the table while her mother set a large plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon in front of her, along with a fork. Everything was drenched in syrup. The stonekeeper stared longingly at the plate for a moment, and then began to dig in.

After she had eaten and put the remaining food in her pack, she met up with Leon at the edge of the staircase leading to the outside. He pointed north east and said, "That is the way you need to go. My friend has a place set up near the foot of the mountain. Are you ready?"

"More than I'll ever be."

"Heh, that won't be the case later. Now use what I have taught you to lower yourself to the ground."

She engulfed herself in the stone's power and landed without any trouble.

With a smile Leon said, "Good work, and good luck." She smiled back and turned to start walking through the trees. "Find a walking stick first!" Leon shouted.

From the top of the house, Navin yelled, "BYYYYYYE EEEEEMM!"

Emily laughed as Karen called, "Be careful!"

Then the young stonekeeper disappeared into the thick shrubbery, her friends' and familes' voices growing fainter and fainter with every step. She hoped she was going the right way.

* * *

The sunlight filtered through the trees, making the forest a mass of different shades of green and brown. A tree that seemed to have been struck by lightning offered thin branches just a few inches taller than she was. She took one and removed the smaller twigs from it, and concluded that this would be her new staff.

The whole forest seemed to be asleep. Very few birds were singing and there wasn't really anything moving in the underbrush. She realized how boring and hard this was going to be when her stone's voice interrupted her thoughts.

_"You will not get through this quest without your friends. It is my turn to be in control. You may not believe me now, but you will soon find out why what I have said is true."_

"Do you have a name?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

_"Does it matter?"_ the stone replied.

"No wonder I don't trust you." She expected it to say something immediately in defense, but the only thing she heard was the wind rushing through the leaves and the odd melodies of unknown birds.

She started to walk forward again when she heard something in her mind that sounded like a sigh. The stone whispered,_ "The name I have been given is Lezelldium."_

"Pffft. What kind of name is that?"

_"An unimportant name. What did you think you would accomplish by asking?"_

She shrugged, even though the amulet couldn't exactly see her. "I guess I thought that since you know almost everything about me, I should know something about you."

_"Fair enough."_

She trudged on for nearly four hours, and then slumped against a tree, taking out a sausage link and eating it. The sky was filled with a thick mass of clouds that had formed when she was walking. She felt a cold prick on her forehead; it was water.

Suddenly, it was pouring and she couldn't see three yards ahead of herself. She pulled up the hood of her cloak, but that didn't help much. Now she was realizing how great it was to have a house to go into. It would take her forever to build a shelter, and that wouldn't do much either because everything was already wet.

A twig snapped behind her.

Immediately, she whipped around and hit the thing that made the noise with her walking stick. Stuck in battle mode, she tripped it and pointed her glowing staff in its face. Then she stopped because she realized the thing was Prince Trellis.


	3. Nice to See You too

"How long have you been following me?!" the young stonekeeper shouted firmly at her first enemy, masking her surprise.

Trellis glared at her and ignored her question with sarcasm. "Thanks for the warm welcome."

His remark only made her more furious, so she asked, "Why would you expect me to be nice to you after you tried to kill me and my friends?"

"That wasn't me! That was Luger! And I'm sure you haven't noticed, but if it weren't for me, he would be presenting your head to my father about now."

She couldn't argue with that, so she lowered her staff. "Get up."

He knew he shouldn't let her kick his butt, but she seemed so small to him that he felt like all he could do was let her, which was stupid, considering he was sent to kill her. There was something about her that made him care, and he beat himself up for being so weak.

Emily backed away as the Elf Prince rose to his feet, still glaring. She didn't know what to do. Turning her back on him wasn't an option, because then he might try to kill her again. So instead, she stood on her gaurd and asked him, " Speaking of your chaperone," (Trellis growled when he heard that), "where is he?"

"I'm still looking," Trellis answered. "What are you doing out here? It's not a very safe place for an inexperienced little girl all by herself."

"You shouldn't care. And don't call me 'little' and 'inexperienced' when I can kick your butt better than anyone."

He growled and gave into his frustration by charging at her and kicking her in the stomach, sending her flying and landing on the hard ground. He drew his sword and pointed it inches away from her face. "You're not that great," he concluded. Then he put his weapon back and helped her up.

She found that confusing. "Why aren't you destroying me?"

"I'm not that heartless. And as I see it, something bigger will eat you before you reach your destination, unless you make a lot of new friends before you're attacked."

"There's no one out here."

"Exactly. Have a fun trip." And with that, he started to walk back into the brush.

Without thought, she cried, "Wait!"

He stopped and expressed puzzlement towards her, asking cautiously, "What?"

What an embarassment. All she managed to do was stand hesitantly before dismissing the thought. "Never mind," she said and dropped her gaze.

"You were going to ask me for help, weren't you?" he spoke blankly.

In defense, she retorted, "It was a dumb idea. Just ignore it and leave."

He snickered. "Your just as difficult as my father, but I suppose I owe you for not blowing me up, so I'll help. But I don't want anyone hearing about this," he informed her.

It was hard to understand any motives that this creepy elf had, so Emily didn't want him interferring with her mission. Yet, she knew she wasn't going to make it out of this alone, so maybe it was better to accept his offer. The stone itself had even told her she would die without another hand.

After her moment of thought had gone by, she sighed and said, "Okay," then held out her hand.

Prince Trellis smirked and shook it.

"Now tell me why you're out here and what you're supposed to be doing, and then go get me a bunch of branches," he instructed.

She scolded herself. "What have I just gotten myself into?"

Her stone, Lezelldium, chuckled.


	4. Surprise

The rain stopped long enough for the two stonekeepers to gather branches and construct a small shelter, using the Elf Prince's cloak as a roof.

Emily thought he looked a bit angry about using his only other protection from the weather as a rain cover, so she continually asked him, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Then his anger would turn into determination, and he'd nod.

They tied the corners of the cloth tightly around the branches they had driven into the softened ground. The sky grew darker and darker as they worked, and about three seconds after the shelter was complete, it started pouring again.

Both of them slumped under the rag-tag tent and stared off into the misty woods. In an attempt to slay akwardness, Emily asked, "How do you know how to do all of this stuff?"

Trellis replied blankly, "I've been in similar situations." Another moment of silence passed by. He added, "It works efficiently for one of us to keep watch while the other rests. I'm not tired, so you can sleep first."

She didn't know if he just told her to sleep so he could kill her while she was, or if he was actually being sincere. She wanted to trust him, but every time she looked at his scarred face, she felt it was better just to stay away.

_"You should have destroyed him when you had the chance,"_ Lezelldium said, making Emily jump in surprise. Trellis gave her a funny look and she turned away, knowing her face was probably red. She didn't want her stone to win, so she layed on her side and tried to go to sleep.

After an hour, she was lost in dreams that her stone interferred with, and the prince caught himself constantly glancing down on her motionless form. He was fighting the urge to remove her hood and take some of her fiery red hair. It would serve as a reminder to him after the war was over and she'd be gone.

"Grr! What am I thinking?!" he beat up on himself. "We don't trust each other. Where did I come up with the idea of helping her?! We're suppose to be enemies!"

Lezelldium lived in each amulet, including the mother stone, and moved in Emily's dream and Trellis' thoughts at the same time. He broke into the prince's lecture to himself. _"I will tell you it won't stay this way. It is better for you not to deny your growing emotions."_

He cursed at his stone. "How can you say something like that! We aren't even close to being friends and you're-"

_"And both of you continue to save each others' lives,"_ Lezelldium finished.

"Rrrrrrrrrr."

_"The best alternative is to admit your feelings to someone else and then go on like you are now, and pretend there is nothing. It is just a matter of how well you can play pretend."_

"Who would I admit it to? No one would care unless they have a problem with it."

_"Admit it to me."_

"...No."

_"You don't have to. I already know."_

"Grrrrrrr. I DON'T LOVE HER!" He yelled out loud on accident, causing Emily to shift positions.

_"Now you have a chance. She's asleep."_

"Are you kidding me?! She'll wake up!"

_"I'll make sure she doesn't."_

"No."

_How much do you really want this?"_

Trellis paused and looked at Emily. In his mind, he admitted defeat and hesitated again before slowing turning and sweeping the hair out of her face.

He bent down and kissed her.

After a moment, he quickly jerked back and burried his face in his gloved hands. "That was wrong."

_"She will never know. Now all you have to do is pretend."_


	5. The Fox and the Hounds

Over the next few days, they walked through the Black Forest in the direction they assumed would lead them to Leon's old friend. The forest itself livened up a bit, strange animals and birds moving everywhere, watching the two stonekeepers.

Emily noticed how silent Trellis was, and wondered if he was always like this. It looked like he was trying to contain rage, and he never spoke or glanced at her unless it was absolutely necessary. She assumed he had trouble with his stone, too.

He knew he was failing to scewer his emotions. In his mind, he vowed he would never show the slightest hint of gladness around her. It was too risky. And too complicated.

Lezelldium told him, _"Forgive me for my harsh words, but you really suck at this."_

The Elf Prince narrowed his eyes in fury and tried not to growl out loud.

Of course, Emily took note, but she didn't say anything because he would probably explode into a tantrum. Then she flung her arm out and stopped him.

He started, "Wha-"

"Sshhh!"

They stood and held their breath.

He whispered, "I don't hear anything."

She whispered back, "Exactly!"

He raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Dropping her arm, she explained, "A moment ago, these woods were full of animal sounds. Now I don't hear anything except for the wind in the trees."

Then he realized the same, looking around. Something didn't feel right. "Wait a minute," he said, holding up a hand. He turned his gaze to the forest behind the young stonekeeper and shouted, "Emily! Look out!"

She whipped around and had just enough time to hold up her staff while an ugly wolf-like creature barred down on her and snapped at her face. "TRELLIS! HELP!"

Trellis used his stone to zap the wolf and it whimpered and fell back towards the bushes, where at least four others were standing. "Oh, crap."

Emily scrambled to her feet and stood next to him. "What are those things?!"

"I'm not really sure. There are a lot of different types of them."

"Well, how exactly do you defeat them?" she asked as the pack started circling the two stonekeepers.

"I'm gonna go with 'attack like there's no tomorrow.'"

"Good plan."

One of the beasts lunged and ignited the fight. All of them came rushing forward.

The Prince of Elves punched a dog in the face and flung another one into a tree with the stone's power.

The stonekeeper burned the mutts and whacked them with her staff. One jumped her back and she face-planted into the dirt. "TRELLIS!"

He kicked the one on top of her in the gut and the first one came back and bit his leg. "AAHH!" It overturned him and pinned his shoulders, drooling on him. The remaining wolves approached and stood over the human and the elf, waiting for te right moment to start devouring.

Somthing flew out of the trees and tackled the wolf that was on Trellis. It moved so fast that the whole pack was cut up by a single blade within ten seconds. A dog head landed at Emily's feet. She resisted cringing.

A cloaked figure stood in the clearing with them. "Sorry you had to see that lovely display," it said. A pair of gloved, furry hands lowered the hood and revealed a female fox. She took Emily's hand and pulled her up. Taking a few steps back, she said, "I'm Evalia Redbeard."


	6. What?

"Redbeard?" Emily wasn't sure she heard right.

Evalia answered, "Yeah. What? You got a problem with my family?"

"Um, no," she replied nervously and removed the folded note from her pack, handing it to the fox woman.

Evalia opened it and took a moment to read, then smirked. "That sounds like Leon. And by the way, don't assume we're a separated couple. He's my brother."

The young stonekeeper started getting annoyed with all the bombs that were dropping. Everything this person just said seemed to be completely impossible, but no one made a counter remark. All Emily could think to do was thank her for saving them.

"Thank you, for saving us," she said.

"No problem. I thought both of you could handle it, you know, since you're stone keepers. But hey, I shouldn't be so expectant. I'm surprised he sent you out here by yourselves. And don't mind me asking, but why is the Elf Prince traveling through the forest with his adversary?" Both girls turned and stared at Trellis.

He was afraid he might have turned red, so he hid half of his reason and explained shortly, "My father is dead to me."

There was an akward pause until Evalia broke the silence. She walked up to him and smacked him on the shoulder, saying, "Glad you made the switch." Then she stepped towards the trees and looked over her shoulder at the two confused kids. "Aren't you coming?"

Trellis and Emily scrambled around the dog bodies and headed off in the direction the she was headed, even though they had no idea of their destination.

**Sorry it was short. I needed to buy some time.**


	7. Injury

The small group walked for a few hours, Evalia trying repeatedly to break the silence, but it never seemed to work. Eventually, they approached a small shack with piles of metal scraps sprawled out around it.

"Sorry it's a mess," she said. "I didn't think I'd have company." She ushered them into the shelter and invited them to sit. Then she unfolded the pack she was carrying and tossed them each an apple. They ate in thankful silence.

Both of the girls had noticed the Elf Prince wincing throughout the entire trip. Emily wouldn't risk an icy glare from him, and the fox woman appeared to be aware of this. She said, "You're not proving yourself a hero by walking around with a severe injury."

Trellis stopped eating. "It's not that bad."

"You don't know that. Your armor's probably digging into your leg."

He said nothing in defense.

Evalia turned to Emily and said, "The part you need is outside and around the back end of the house. It's not very big so you can put it in your bag." The stonekeeper started out the door. "And one more thing. You might want to stay out there and plug your ears." That didn't sound good, and it made Emily feel afraid for Trellis' sake. She left as Evalia told him to take off the leg of his armor.

The machinery that was needed for the engine was so small that she wondered why it would affect the way the whole house works.

She jumped as she heard the the elf scream from inside the house. It was a horrible sound, and she decided she would move a little farther away so it wouldn't be as bad. But it only got worse. She could imagine the little pieces of metal and maybe even a dog tooth being pulled out of his leg at this moment. It made her sick.

_"You pity him, young master?"_

"What's it to you? I know you don't have ears but I don't doubt you can hear him," Emily growled in her mind.

The screaming ceased and all that followed was the sound of the wind that indicated another outburst of rain.

_"You have feelings for him?"_ Lezelldium asked like a spy.

"How can I? He's almost impossible to trust. I just feel bad because I wouldn't wish that kind of pain to my worst enemy."

_"So he is not your enemy. I would tell you what might happen later, but I think it would be best for you to find out for yourself."_

"What?"

_"You will see."_

Just then, Evalia's head popped out from behind the side of the house. "Find it?"

"Yeah. Will he be okay?"

"He should be fine. Make sure he stays off of it for a few days though, and don't let him put the leg of his armor back on until I say so."

"Alright, but, I was thinking about leaving tomorrow morning so I can get back to my friends and help them."

The mechanic made a face. "Did you forget what happened to you a few hours ago? I'm gonna escort you back to my brother so you stay in one piece, unlike your elf friend. We can't go until he's healed because if we leave him alone he'll probably walk off and get eaten."

Emily couldn't argue with that, so she decided to deal with it and went back into the shelter with Evalia.

Trellis was already asleep on a cot, his grey-blue foot looking completely out of place.

Evalia said, "I told him he could have the cot since he's injured. You and I will sleep on the floor."

They passed a mass of blankets around, the rain starting up again and the candles in the corner dripping with wax.

Out of curiosity, Emily asked quietly, "What happened with you and Leon?"

Evalia sighed. "It's not a very happy story. We were close as kids, but, after our dad died, we both grew up fast so we could take care of each other and ourselves. Our mom burried herself in depression and eventually died of it, not too long ago I think, and then Leon made the choice to walk away. We're good with each other, but we both need some time to ourselves to fill in what we lost. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah."

She pulled something out of her pack. It was a green scarf. "He's got a scarf right?"

Emily nodded.

"We made a pact years ago to never turn against each other no matter what happens. Our mom made the scarves, so they mean a lot to us. We traded them off in order to remember the promise. This green one is actually his, and the one he's got it mine. Does he still wear it?"

"All the time."

Evalia smiled. Then the last candle went out. "Oh, great," said the fox woman as she got up and put her cloak back on.

"Where are you going?" Emily asked.

"You think I'm alone out here? I'm going to get some candles from the neighbors." Then she left.

The young stonekeeper smirked. She found herself isolated in her thoughts and feelings, so she looked up at Trellis, who was still but looked uncomfortable. She wasn't sure if it was just her eyes messing with her, but she thought she saw his foot twitch.

His foot. Now she was disappointed that Evalia hadn't given her any instructions as to what if he woke up or needed new bandages or something. She assumed he would never know or remember most of this, so she guessed it was safe to poke it. It wasn't a hard or quick poke. His foot was a lot softer than she thought it would be. Her finger moved about an inch and she jumped when she heard him ask, "What are you doing?"

Immediately she put her hand back down and looked at his face. His eyes were open and almost glowing. How long had he been staring at her? She didn't know what to say, so she turned it back on him.

"Your foot was in my face."

"So you poked it?" He looked like he was smiling.

"Did they invent doederant for feet because you really need it. Your foot's been in your armor so long that I can smell it from the floor."

"So move then."

Emily threw her pillow to the other end of the blankets and covered her head with it.

He chuckled.

"I can hear you," she said, not sure wether she should be annoyed or laughing.

He said, "I know."


	8. What Is and What Isn't

Emily woke up the next morning with an aching pain in her neck. When did she fall asleep? She sat up and noticed that Trellis wasn't inside the shack, and neither was Evalia. It was a moment of panic that sent her throwing back the blankets and bursting through the door.

Both of them were sitting by a fire in the dim light. A dead deer-like animal was hanging from a nearby tree. Both of them looked up at her when she opened the door, and Evalia had stopped carving the crutches she was making for Trellis.

Emily felt relief but also surprise to see a carcus.

Evalia gave a short breathy laugh. "If you're wondering about the dead deer, I don't sleep very well. Come sit down." The fox woman finished the second crutch and handed it to the elf, and then got up, walking over to where the body was hanging. "I'll be right back," she said as she untied the rope and dragged the whole thing to the back of the house.

Trellis said after a moment of akward silence, "She's quite interesting."

"Ha ha."

"HEY ELF BOY! GET UP AND TEST YOUR CRUTCHES!" Evalia yelled from behind the house.

He groaned and slowly lifted himself up, positioning his crutches and scowling. He took a few steps with no trouble. The next step he took, one crutch get stuck in a hole in the ground, and he fell forward and face-planted. He rolled onto his back and let his nose bleed all over his face.

Emily got up and stood over him. "Are you okay?"

"No."

She went inside and found a cloth, then came back out crouched down beside him. "Is your leg okay?"

"Sure."

"Stop wincing and open your eyes."

He did as he was told and looked up at her. He felt stupid and helpless.

She stood upright and held a hand out to him. He took it and they struggled to get him to stand for a minute or so. When he was standing, he realized how close they were and didn't let go of her hand for fear of falling down again. She gave him the cloth and he held it to his nose with the hand that was free.

"Thank you," he said akwardly.

She replied, "You made Evalia work for nothing."

"Huh?" he asked, confused.

She pointed to the ground where the crutch that had gotten stuck was laying, split into multiple pieces from being crushed by Trellis' weight. He frowned.

The fox woman came running back to where the stonekeepers were, saying, "I heard a big thud! What was - oh crap you broke it!" She ran over to the broken crutch, expressing disappointment. Then she shrugged it off. "Oh, well. Want me to make you a pair out of metal instead?"

He wasn't willing to re-experience this accident with greater conseqences than before. "No, thanks. I think I'll confine myself to sitting."

"Well, okay. Come back inside. You need some new bandages." Then she walked into the shelter.

Trellis and Emily looked at each other, realizing they were still holding hands. A wave of akwardness came over them.

"Do you need help?" she asked.

"I don't want to admit it, but if I don't have help I think I'll _break_ my nose."

"Alright."

She helped him into the house and got him to sit on the cot. Evalia came over and unwrapped the bandages on his leg.

The wound was ugly and stitched up, but there wasn't any swelling. Evalia stated, "I forgot how fast elves can heal. I think I'll be able to take the stitches out soon. I'm gonna go cook that deer and after that, I'll remove them."

He nodded in understanding.

_"This is a waste of precious time, Emily,"_ Lezelldium whispered.

She made sure not to show on her face that the stone was speaking with her. In her mind, she answered, "I don't think he's as bad as you say."

_"Maybe not now, but later he will be. He can decieve you, Emily. It is better that you do not rely on him or his presence. You may think that he is good, but there will be a moment when you realize he is not, and never was. It will tear you apart and you won't be able to fight his father because you are so distracted. Leave now before it's too late."_

"Even if he is bad, I can make him change."

_"How, young master?"_

"I'll figure it out."

_"You're making a mistake."_

"I don't think so."

_"Do not say I didn't warn you."_

The voice disappeared as Evalia came back in. "Okay, time to fix you up. Don't worry, my hands are clean." She pulled up a stool and found a pair of pliers. "Here we go." She started pulling out stitches.

The Elf Prince gritted his teeth and latched onto the edge of the cot.

Emily put a hand on his shoulder and he felt a little better.

Lezelldium invaded his thoughts shortly after the procedure started. _"I understand that you care for her."_

"What about it?" Trellis replied in his head.

_"She is meant for many great things, but perhaps your emotions are dragging her in too deep. Do not make your problems her problems as well. Let her do what she is meant to do, and keep your issues to yourself instead of bringing her in to deal with them. She still has much to learn."_

"You were the one who told me to find her."

_"Yes, but I did not tell you to fall in love with her."_

"I don't understand."

_"You must pretend, Trellis. Pretend there is nothing, and she can focus on her true potential."_

He was sad at this, but figured Lezelldium was right. He shouldn't hold Emily back. It would ultimately bring the downfall of Alledia if he distracted her. He decided to go back to being like he was before he ran into Emily almost a week ago.

"All done," Evalia told him. He had forgotten she was pulling stitches out of his leg. When he looked down at it, he knew he would have more than just the scar over his left eye.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

Emily's hand was still on his shoulder, and he turned to her. She took it off and he went to pull his armor back on. After he did that, he went outside.

Since he had said nothing when he did that, it gave her the slightest indication that maybe her stone was telling the truth. She noted that she would leave the next morning.


	9. A Weird Goodbye

Emily made sure to check that she had everything she needed to head out again. It was hard to understand why had she decided to leave so suddenly; she got a weird feeling since yesterday and she couldn't take it anymore.

"Leaving so soon?" Evalia noticed the young stonekeeper was packing.

"Yeah," Emily replied, not sure what else to say.

"You just got here!"

"I don't have all the time in the world."

"Right. I should get packing too, then. Elf boy should be fine by himself now." The fox woman dug an old bag out from under the cot and stuffed a bunch of food in it; food was basically the only thing that they needed. "I should go get some of that venison. Mind giving me a hand?" Both of them walked out to get the meat just as Trellis came back from a place he found where he could be alone with his thoughts.

He entered the shack and saw no one in there, but discovered instead two bags with food in them. He recognized Emily's and figured Evalia was going with her. It was disappointing to know that he wasn't able to join them, for he still had to find his brother. This would probably be the last time he would see Emily. It would be almost impossible for them to meet up again a third time. She most likely thought that he was being a jerk to her through ignorance, even though that wasn't his intention, so he decided he would leave her something in order to appear a little friendlier. In his glove compartment, there was an ear piece that belonged to his mother. He took it everywhere with him, but now he wanted to see it in Emily's hands. She needed it more than him. He removed it from the compartment and shoved it into her bag, then walked out to the edge of the clearing they were in.

Emily noticed what he was doing and ran up behind him, leaving Evalia to stuff smoked venison in thick wraps by herself.

"Where are you going?" she asked him.

Without turning around, he answered, "I have to find Luger."

"What if he's in the same direction me and Evalia are going?"

"Why would you want me to acompany you? We barely got along the first time."

She didn't know what to say. It really sucked to be at an age where you were caught in between being a kid and being an adult. It got very confusing and almost every conversation you have with someone close to your age is akward. Is this what all of her teen years would be like? She hoped not.

He looked at her when she didn't answer for a while.

She gathered her thoughts and said, "You're not as bad as you think you are."

"Maybe not. But I have to do this on my own. Goodbye Emily." He began to walk into the forest.

She started objecting when Evalia yelled to her, "Let him go! He's an elf! They're all like that!"

"Not all!" Trellis called back.

The young stonekeeper ignored the fox and tried to jump into the shrubbery after the Elf Prince. She yelled, "You're so selfish!"

He stopped and looked back, surprised that she still wouldn't drop the issue.

"I want to see you as my friend but you keep running off like that! So I don't know what to do!"

"You don't want me as your friend."

"Why not?!"

"I would only slow you down."

She didn't understand. It made her get a little closer and she asked, "How would you slow me down?"

"I endanger you. The king knows my location because of the stone, and it makes you a walking target."

"You care about my safety?"

He blushed and they just stared at each other.

Then, abrubtly he turned and walked off, saying, "Just go. You're loosing daylight!"

Emily felt even more weird now, and decided it was best not to argue anymore; it would only make things worse. She went back over to Evalia.

The fox woman said, "It's just like one of those romance/drama movies I keep hearing about." Then she started laughing as the stonekeeper's face lost color. "You should see your face right now! Ha! You look like you're going to pass out! Ha ha ha! Okay, okay. We should hit the road."

There wasn't much said after that, and the two girls set out to find the Charnon House.


	10. A Gift

Evalia and Emily walked all day and found a small cave to spend the night in. The rain began shortly before they found it, and continued to pour and spit rumbles of thunder.

The fox woman assumed that other travelers had already been there, because a pile of wood stood against the wall with three matches next to it. She built a fire and dug through her pack for some food.

Emily emptied her bag and studied all of its contents. There was a package with almonds which she picked up and ate while she sorted through everything else. With her stone, she separated all the items, making a pile of food, an assortment of survuval tools such as more matches and a water bottle, a communicater that she hadn't noticed until now, and some odd-looking peice of jewlery.

She wanted to use the communicater to tell Leon she was half-way back to the Charnon House, but feared she would disturb the residents by calling in the middle of the night. She put it back into her satchel along with the food and tools.

Then she picked up the peice of jewlery. What in the world was it? The design was a complicated arrangement of gold lining and violet gems. Maybe it was the centerpeice of a necklace missing a chain. Another thing that bothered her was that she had no idea where it came from. There wasn't any sort of market in these woods. Did Evalia make it? Emily held it out to her.

"Do you know where this came from?"

The fox woman took it and said, "Not from me, that's for sure. It looks like elvish work. Sometimes an elf will stumble by my shop, and his wife's got one of these things on her ear." She handed it back to the stonekeeper. "I bet Elf Boy gave it to you."

That confused Emily. She asked, "Why would he, though? He certainly never wore it, so I don't know how he got it to me."

"I bet he's got pockets in his armor. Armor like his almost _always_ has some sort of compartment. Maybe he bought it for one of his old girlfriends and now he thinks it should be yours." Evalia revealed a sly smile.

Emily chuckled. "We're not _that_ close."

"Maybe not, but I still think he likes you."

"He chose to go his own way."

"I bet he's just trying to protect you. His evil dad probably stuck a chip in his neck."

"I guess I'll never know."

"Don't say that. I'm sure he'll come back at some point."

"Can we not talk about it anymore?"

"Fine, kid. Get some rest."

"Goodnight, Evalia."

"Goodnight."

Then both of them tried to get as comfortable as they could and went to sleep.


	11. The Journey Truly Begins

In the morning, the rain continued to fall. A thick mist covered the forest ground and made it difficult for the two travelers to see. Still, they moved forward, pulling their cloaks closer to themselves and trudging through the mud underfoot.

Emily removed the communicator from her satchel and spoke into it while trying not to get it wet. "Leon? Miskit? Can you hear me? This is Emily."

No one answered for a few minutes. Then there was the sound of static, followed by a the rusty voice of Cogsley. "Hey, kid. Glad to know you're still alive. Those two are outside trying to cover up the places where the arms were ripped off. Their are a bit high up, but they're doing a pretty good job. I'll go get one of them."

"Okay. Thanks Cogsley."

Again, the communicator was silent. Evalia took this time to say, "I bet I could get that done, no problem."

"Emily?!" It was Miskit. "OH THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE ALRIGHT! I was starting to get nervous."

Both of the girls chuckled. Emily answered, "It wasn't too difficult. I had help and I'm bringing it back with me."

"Oh.. okay. What do you mean by help?"

"I'll tell you about it as soon as I get back. It shouldn't be too long."

"Good. These people drive me crazy."

Emily smiled. "See you soon."

"You too."

Then the stonekeeper placed the communicator back into her bag.

"Sounds like you got some nice friends," Evalia pointed out.

"Yeah."

* * *

After a few more hours of walking, the rain let up and the sun started melting the fog away. Emily could see a clearing in front of her, and there was shouting coming from it. The bricks of the house were noticable, and she started running towards it, thankful she had finally made it back.

Evalia was about to tell her not to be so quick to assume these were the right people, but held it back and ran to catch up.

It was, in fact, the Charnon House, and the shouting was coming from Leon and Miskit trying to secure the tarp over the left arm where Luger had ripped it off. Navin looked out one of the nearby windows and yelled, "EMILY!" That made Leon turn his head to see her, and he also noticed his sister standing next to her. He lost his grip on the rope and fell to the ground.

Evalia and Emily rushed over to him to see if he was hurt. "Are you okay?" the fox woman asked as she knelt down next to him.

"Ask me again in about ten minutes," he groaned.

She looked at Emily and said, "He's okay." Then she helped him up and gave him a hug.

Leon said, "I didn't see that coming."

"Neither did I," she replied and patted him on the back. They ceased hugging as Miskit decended to the ground with his rope.

"Leon? What happened?" he asked.

"Miskit, this is my sister, Evalia."

Miskit looked at the fox woman and froze up for about four seconds. Then, remembering himself, he shook her hand and said, "Hello."

She smiled and said, "Hi." When they stopped shaking, she said, "How does a guy make a robot that looks like a pink bunny? That's just a little too cute."

Miskit blushed and walked away.

Emily called to him, "Don't you want to hear about everything that happened?"

Leon answered her instead. "I'm sure we all do. Let's go inside."

Evalia added, "Then afterwards, I can come out here and fix up all this damage," waving to the arms and the engine.

"I would appreciate that very much," Leon told her.

"Hey, I was always the better mechanic."

They laughed and went inside.

"Are you going to join us?" Emily asked her.

"Hm. I thought about it, but I have my own business to take care of. But I promise, I'll come back if you need my help."

"Alright."

* * *

After the story-telling was over, Emily retired to her room and emptied her satchel. She couldn't help but stare at the ear peice Trellis had given her. She wished he would have come with her, but it probably would have caused a lot of trouble. She decided not to trust him for the time being. There was too much at stake.

Lezelldium whispered to Emily, _"You are making the right choice, young master. He does not belong with you and your company."_

"I didn't say I'd _never_ trust him."

Her stone said nothing to that, but noted to try harder to seperate her from her friends. He would conduct his plans later.

**Author's Note: so this story is done, and i could use some inspiration for more, so, if you've got any ideas, please leave comments!**


End file.
